Sitting atop the American League East with the best record in the AL, the Tampa Bay Rays could be looking to make a splash ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale reports the team is interested in not only Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, but are also looking at Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte. Should that not materialize, the Rays could turn to Luis Arraez of the San Francisco Giants.
Whether or not Skubal or Marte is actually available remains to be seen, but the team’s interest signals an aggressive approach not normally associated with the way the Rays operate. The resurgent Tigers won seven of 10 leading into the All-Star break and now sit 3.5 games back of an AL wild-card spot. Complicating their chase is the fact that four teams sit in front of them.
The D-Backs headed into the break on the back of four straight wins. They are 2.5 games out of a wild-card spot in the National League. The Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals sit in between them and the Miami Marlins, who currently occupy the final playoff place in the NL.
Arraez is almost assuredly available. The four-time All-Star’s Giants sit at 41-55 and are 10.5 games out of a wild-card spot. They trail the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers by 19.5 games. General manager Zack Minasian is expected to be a motivated seller heading into the deadline.
A 29-year-old native of San Felipe, Venezuela, Arraez is in his eighth big league season and first with the Giants. He’s batting .330 with 119 hits, four home runs, 35 runs batted in and an OPS of .829. A three-time batting champion, Arraez is playing on a one-year, $12 million deal.
The Rays (56-38) return from the break on Friday, opening a four-game set with a doubleheader against the red-hot Boston Red Sox (46-48)
